Cornelius halpin



nfNoModel.)

- G.- HALPIN. GAR GOUPLING.

` No. 574,323. Patented Deb. 29, v1896.

f I f@ /9 Wg" c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CORNELIUS l-IALPIN, OF TARRYTOVVN, NEV YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FREDERICK IVILLIAM SMITH, OF SAME tPLACE.

CAR-COU PLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,323, dated December 29, 1896. Application iiled October l0, 1896. Serial No. 608,481. (No model.)

To otZZ whom it may concern: the hooked jaw is in its opened position. Be it known that I, CORNELIUS IfIALPIN, a When the hooked jaw is closed in coupled citizen of the United States, residing at Ta'rryposition, the tailpiece 5 is received in a houstown, in the county of Westchester and State ing or recess 6, that is formed in the horn 3, 55 5 of New York, have invented new and useful to which the said jaw is pivoted. It will be Improvements in Car-Couplings, of which the seen that the tailpiece 5 is curved horizonfollowing is a specification. tally forward and that in its extremity is My invention relates to carcouplings of formed a V-shaped notch 7, which is extended that class in which each draw-head is provided from the top of said tailpiece to its under side. 6o 1o with a pivotal hooked jaw adapted to auto- For the purpose of holding the hooked jaw matically couple, when in proper position, 4 in an open or forward position there is prowith the corresponding pivotal hooked jaw of vided a spring S, that is coiled around and another draw-head, and each pivotal jaw besupported by a pin 9, which is secured vering formed with a notched tailpiece that will tically in the forward portion of the recess or 65 15 press against and interlock with alocking-dog` housing G, one end of said spring being prowhich is pivotally supported in a verticallyvided with a fixed bearing, while the other slotted portion of the draw-head. end is extended and made to bear against the The invention consists in features of conrear surface of the tailpiece 5, so as to force struction and novel combinations of parts in the jaw 4 to open and hold the said tailpiece 7o zo a pivotal-hook car-coupling, as hereinafter in its forward position, as shown in Fig. 1.

described and claimed. The interior of the draw-head is formed In the annexed drawings, illustrating my with a recess 10, communicating with the improvements, Figure 1 is a perspective of draw-head mouth. In the top forward porone drawhead,showingits pivotalhookedjaw tion of the draw-head is a longitudinally-ar- 75 2 5 in an open or unlocked position in readiness ranged slot 11, and in the lower forward porforcoupling automatically with the closed or tion is a similar slot 12, both slots being in locked jaw of another draw-head having the communication with the draw-head interior. same construction. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sec- AThese slots 11 and 12 provide for the required tion of the draw-head, showing its hooked jaw -movements of a forwardly and rearwardly 8o 3o locked in its closed position and indicates in swinging dog 13, that is adapted to lock back dotted lines the manner of coupling with an the hooked coupling-jaw 4 in its closed posi-` ordinary link and pin, and shows also the tion, as shown in Fig. 2. Thelocking-dog13 means for preventing access of the link to is pivotally supported at its forward upper the locking-dog that secures the hooked jaw. corner in bearings 14 on the upper side of S 5 35 Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the the draw-head, and it occupies a normally draw-head with the pivotal hooked jawin unvertical position with its front vertical face coupled position. in bearing contact with abutments 15 at the Referring to the drawings, it will be seen forward ends of the slots 11 and 12, in which that the outer end of the draw-head 1 is proit is arranged to swing. The upper end of 9o 4o vided with two lateral and forward projectthis locking-dog 13 is formed with a flanged ing horns 2 and 3, one on each side. The horn cap 1G, that serves to normally close the slot 2 is short and ilared somewhat outward, while 11 and exclude snow and rain. On the top of the horn 3 is longer and extended more dithe cap 16 isaperforatedlug17for attachment Y rectly forward. In the bifurcated extremity of a chain that may be extended to any re- 95 45 of the longer horn 3 is pivoted ahorizontallyquired point for use in raising the dog 13, so swinging hooked jaw 4, that is adapted to be as to swing it backward and thereby release engaged withasimilar hooked jaw carried by the hooked jaw 4 in the act of uncoupling. an opposing draw-head. Across the rear end of the upper slot 11 is The pivotal hooked jaw 4 has formed theresupported a transversely-arranged pin or axle roo 5o on a tailpiece 5, which projects transversely 18, on which is coiled a spring 19, one end of toward the center line of the draw-head when which has a fixed bearing beneath the top of the recessed draw-head, while the other end is extended forward and downward in bearing contact with the rear side of the dog 13, and thus holds t-he said dog so that it cannot be swung` rearward by jolting or vibration of the draw-head or by shock of two draw-heads coming together in the operation of coupling.

Vhcn it is desired to set the coupling in readiness for automatic action, the pivotal hooked jaw l on one d raw-head is pushed inward and rearward, so that the tailpicce 5 will bear against the pivotal locking-dog 13 and swing it rearward against the pressure of its spring 19, and it will-.be seen that as soon as the rear face of the tailpiece has cleared the forward face of the dog 13 the said dog will, under the influence of gravity and by the action of the spring 19, immediately swing forward into firm locking engagement with the V-shaped notch 7, thereby securing the jaw 4 in closed position, as shown in Fig. 2. On the other drawhead the pivotal hooked jaw 4.- is left in open position, as Yshown in Figs. 1 and 3. Now on bringing together the two draw-heads the closed jaw u one drawhead will impinge against the tailpiece 5 of the open jaw on the other draw-head and thereby bring the two jaws into engagement, at the same time swinging rearward the lockingdog 13 of one draw-head until the tailpiece 5 is in position to have its notch 7 engaged by the said dog as its swings forward into locking position, thus automatically coupling the two cars together. In order to uneouple, it is only necessary to lift or swing rearward the locking-dog 13 of either drawhead, when immediately the spring 8 of the hooked jaw et on that draw-head will swing or throw the said jaw out of engagement with the other jaw.

It will be observed that the springs 8 and 19 hold the jaw i and locking-dog 13 of each draw-head so firmly that they are not affected by vibrations or shocks when the draw-heads are coupled, and thus the risk of accidental uncoupling is avoided.

The vertical engaging faces of' the drawheads are of such depth as to afford ample vertical play, due to inequalities of track, without liability ot' uncoupling, and yet, should one car go though a bridge or trestle, it need not pull the other down, as the couplings will then readily drop apart. Vhen coupled, the hooked jaws afford ample room for lateral play and for turning curves.

In order'to provide for coupling this drawhead with one having the ordinary link-andpin coupling, there is formed a notch or recess 20 in the hookedA jaw i and pin-holes 21 that intersect said notch, so that when the jaw is closed and locked the said notch 2O will afford passage f'or an ordinary link to be engaged by a pin dropped through the holes 21, as usual. In the closed and locked position of the jaw 4 the front face of the tailpiece 5 extends so far across the draw-head mouth that alink could not get access to the dog 13 to swin g it rearward, and consequently the use of alink would not incur the risk of unlocking the jaw, as is possible with some hook-jaw couplings. By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that if the link entered far enough it would take bearing on the inner side of the horn 2 anden the front face ofthe tailpiece 5, the draw-head mouth being so contracted by the form and position of the said tailpiece that a link cannot impinge against the locking-dog.

The rear end of the draw-head receives the drawbar 22 and is bolted orotherwise secured thereto in any suitable manner. On the sides of the d raw-head, near its rear or inner end, are vertical flanges 23, the purpose of which is to prevent the draw-head from being pulled out of the framing 24 in case of disconnection of the draw-head from the draw-bar. These fianges are located in such relation to the framing 24 as will afford ample room forlongitudinal play or yielding of the draw-head and draw-bar and yet serve as stops to arrest withdrawal of the draw-head in event of becoming disconnected at the point of draw-bar attachment or in case the draw-bar should be broken.

lVhat I claim as my invention is- In a careouplin g, the combination of a recessed draw-head slotted at top and bottom, a pivotal hooked jaw provided with a tailpiece normally projecting across the drawhead mouth and having in its end a V- shaped notch with squared vertical sides, a lockingdog pivoted to swing forward and rearward in the slotted and recessed drawhead and adapted to be swung back by said tailpiecc and become interlocked with the V-notch therein to secure the hooked jaw in a closed and locked position, a spring to hold the said dog to its engagement with the notched tailpiece, a transversely-arranged pin to support said spring, means for swinging the said dog rearward to release the closed jaw, and a spring to throw the released jaw outward, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence ot' two subscribing witnesses.

CORNELIUS IIALIIN.

Witnesses:

JAMES L. Nonnis, THos. A. GREEN.

TOO 

